Essence of Mexico: Authentic Mexican Cooking Class & Market Tour
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Mexico City, Mexico
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Learn to prepare classic Mexican dishes alongside a professional chef with this cooking class in Mexico City's Roma Norte neighborhood. Shop for ingredients at a local market, and then head to a private cooking studio to prepare your 4-course menu with appetizers, mains, and dessert. This tour also includes a tasting of agua fresca and your choice of alcoholic beverage to complement your meal.
- Mexican cooking class in Mexico City
- Hands-on class teaches you recipes you can bring back home
- Shop at a local market alongside a chef
- All ingredients for a 4-course meal included, plus drinks and dessert
Sample Menu
Starter
Mexican Street Appetizers
Sopes with two Mexican salsas (red molcajete sauce and green sauce)
Starter
Mextlapique
Tamale without masa, filled with vegetables and topped with an spearmint sauce.
Main
White Mole
Made with a mixture of light-colored ingredients including white pine nuts, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, blonde raisins and chile guero.
Dessert
Corn Bread
Served with hot chocolate (water based)
What's Included
- Professional Chef guide
- All needed ingredients to cook menu
- Printed recipes
- Market Tour
- Four course lunch
- Alcoholic BeveragesArtisanal mezcal, Mexican craft beer, Mexican wine
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Medellín 191A, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Aura Cocina Mexicana, Medellín 191a (between Chiapas and Tapachula streets), colonia Roma Norte, Mexico City.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.9:30 am
What To Expect
1
Aura Cocina Mexicana
2
Mercado de Medellin
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Mole Blanco is usually served with chicken pieces. Other options available: panela cheese or mushrooms, please indicate your selection.
- An apron will be provided to be used during class. To better enjoy the class we suggest wearing comfortable clothes and shoes, please avoid scarves, long necklaces and jewelry while in the kitchen.
- Not suitable for nuts allergies
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Jen_K
Amazing experience. We were taken care of from start to finish. I learned so much about the food, history and art of cooking. Definitely enhanced the experience to go to the market and meet the vendors, try the food (even the bugs) and learn about many of the locals who have been creating these dishes for many years. The cooking experience was well organized, easy to follow and fun! One of the best local experiences I've ever had.
Reviews
5.0
based on 296 reviews
Ian_R, Apr 2026
Overall a fantastic cooking class and market tour. I ended up going to back to the market and bullying several things the following day, and I would not have known where to go if I hadn’t had a tour first. The class was well paced, interactive, and ended in a delicious lunch! Wholeheartedly recommended.
Rodoula_K, Feb 2026
This was one of the best cooking classes I ever did. Chef Lorena was really knowledgeable, walked us through all the typical Mexican ingredients and then took us to a local market to buy try a few things. She also pointed things about the neighbourhood and interesting buildings around. We made 4 very tasty courses and everything was explained very well and turned out very tasty accompanied with Mexican beer, wine or mezcal. The group was small which made the experience even more personal. Also the space where the cooking class is taking place is very neat.
Nanci_W, Feb 2026
The Essence of Mexico cooking experience was fantastic! From the morning market tour to the 4-course cooking experience, it was exactly what we hoped for. Lorena is a very passionate chef that expertly guided our group through an authentic cooking experience. I would highly recommend this tour if you enjoy food and cooking and would like to take a mini dive into cooking Mexican cuisine!
Jen_K, Jan 2026
Amazing experience. We were taken care of from start to finish. I learned so much about the food, history and art of cooking. Definitely enhanced the experience to go to the market and meet the vendors, try the food (even the bugs) and learn about many of the locals who have been creating these dishes for many years. The cooking experience was well organized, easy to follow and fun! One of the best local experiences I've ever had.
Ilana_V, Jan 2026
The class is lots of fun, you learn and eat a lot. The market experience was quick paced yet informative. Our chef spoke excellent English and took the time to get to know us all, as well as our taste preferences. The meal we all made was amazing.
Eugene_L, Jan 2026
We prepared some uncommon dishes, things I had never tried before, rather than items you see in every restaurant. It was an interesting and welcome approach to Mexican cooking.
David_T, Jan 2026
Chef Pame was amazing. She taught us about Mexican cooking, took us to the market and then we prepared a 4 course lunch. Amazing
Megha_P, Dec 2025
An incredible day with some amazing fellow tourists in our group that made our whole trip. I must say I have yet to find an equally competently run tour (notwithstanding the incredible competence and quality, still a lot of heart). THANK YOU!
Zainul_J, Dec 2025
Wonderful experience. Very immersive and informative and food we cooked was delicious. Pamela was amazing and very knowledgeable.
Kevin_F, Nov 2025
This was a great experience for our family (kids ages 14 and 11). Everyone enjoyed learning about the foods and ingredients and the dishes were delicious.
George_C, Nov 2025
Absolute highlight of our trip to Mexico City. We should've started with this! I learned so much about the food (and general culture) of Mexico. I don't even like cooking and had such a good time with our chef, Lorena. The market visit, cooking process, and meal were all amazing.
jeadersbcglobalnet, Nov 2025
This was such a fun and amazing experience. Our host Pamela was very enthusiastic for the foods and traditions of Mexico. We felt immediately like she was an old friend. The food we made was incredible; some of the best we had in Mexico City. The supporting staff were great too. Thank you for the great experience Aura.
Regan_P, Nov 2025
Wonderful class- beautiful space with a great instructor. The food we made was delicious and I love that it included the trip to the market!
Iuliana_A, Nov 2025
Great experience to learn about the mexican cusine!
Pamo was really kind and welcoming. She provided plenty of explanation and ensured we all had a pleasant experience, even if our cooking skills were not so good. The menu was well selected and personalized vegetarian / non vegetarian. Recommend it !
Peter_T, Oct 2025
Wonderful class. So much fun, very well organized, the market tour was fantastic and Lorena was terrific...polite, knowledgeable, and a delight to be with. Can't recommend this class highly enough.
Paige_R, Oct 2025
MUST DO!! If you love cooking like my husband and I do, this was a perfect morning of introductions to native Mexican fruits and vegetables, a spin through the Mercado Medellin to taste some of the fresh fruits and vegetables and get a taste of the daily produce shopping experience. Chef Lorena was our guide through the morning, she gave us histories, flavor profiles, and expertly guided the group through making a 4 course meal, we had 2 children with us and they even had roles and the whole experience was very personal!
Rachel_B, Oct 2025
We had a great time cooking with Mariana! We would definitely consider another class next time we are in CDMX!
Mike_A, Sep 2025
We traveled to Mexico City to attend several cooking classes and this one was excellent. Our instructor Ana was completely charming and very knowledgeable. She spent a great deal of time on the history of Mexican cooking, which was fascinating. During the class, we prepared Mextlapiques and Mole Blanco, among other dishes. Every class will teach you salsas and tortillas, so we were fortunate to learn these somewhat unique dishes. The cooking facility was very nicely decorated and clean and organized. I would say the strength of the class was the visit to the Medellin Market prior to the class. Ana expertly showed us the items used in Mexican cooking first hand and weaved in some history at the same time. I would highly recommend this class to anyone.
P_L, Sep 2025
The chef Mariana was great with explaining the ingredients and instructing throughout the class! I especially enjoyed the market tour. One suggestion would be to ensure everyone taking the class practices good hygeniene. I noticed a couple of people didn't wash their hands before touching tortillas that we all had to eat and one person had to be told to not put his tasting spoon back into the salsa. I'm really hoping no one gets sick.
Raghav_N, Sep 2025
Lorena was a wonderful guide for us through Mercado Medellin and led us through an immersive experience of sampling various items from fruit, tortillas, and even some insects! From there we had a wonderful time cooking our way through a 4 course meal where Lorena explained the history behind the ingredients that we were using and patiently guided us through all of the preparation, cooking, and baking. This was an unforgettable experience in CDMX!
Murray_W, Aug 2025
An absolutely incredible experience and a must do when in Mexico City! We had Pam (Pamé) as our host and she was incredible, very funny and hospitable and a great teacher! From the sope to the flan cake everything was so tasty! And the market tour with the bug tasting and the rest was so interesting! We would recommend this to anyone who comes to CDMX!
Heather_A, Aug 2025
Our family had a fantastic time in this class! We learned a lot about typical Mexican foods and ingredients, really enjoyed visiting the market with a guide (they can feel pretty overwhelming otherwise!), and of course had a ball cooking up and eating a delicious 4-course feast. The facility is so charming, and the staff is engaging and wonderful. Take this class, you will not regret it!
Elizabeth_L, Jul 2025
It’s amazing because you combine visiting the market knowing the vegetables and fruits that you later will cook and at the end you will eat all the delicious food that you cooked. Amazing experience. I highly recommend and the chef is awesome as well!!’
Kirsten_A, Jul 2025
This was a very special class which we enjoyed immensely. The market tour was fun and the actual cooking (and eating) was even better. Our chef led us through the most amazing journey of food and history. She was wonderful. Highly recommend this class for anyone who wants to learn a bit about Mexican food, and more importantly, anyone who wants to eat an authentic incredible meal.
Megan_W, Jul 2025
Chef Pame was an amazing host! I highly recommend this experience as a MUST do for CDMX! The food is incredible! I loved learning about Mexican food culture and history. Pame is very engaging and friendly. I loved the tour portion and visiting tortillarias was my favorite stop. I would definitely return for another class! It was fun to get to know some other travelers during the experience.
Ashley_H, Jul 2025
This was an amazing experience and if I could give this experience a 5 star plus I would. Mariana was absolutely wonderful and made our day. She was so incredibly accommodating, kind, and shared her knowledge from her heart. Her assistant Jasmine was also great and had everything prepared for a smooth experience. The tour of the market was really informative as well. When we come back to Mexico City we will book another experience with this company and guide.
Katherine_W, May 2025
This was such a fun and informative experience to do on our first visit to Mexico City. Pame and the team were so friendly, knowledgeable and fun. It was totally worth the time to learn about Mexican cuisine and enjoy the meal too!
Alayna_P, Mar 2025
This was such a fun and cultural experience for my family. Chef Pame was so knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend as a must do when visiting CDMX
Greta_M, Feb 2025
The cooking class was even better than expected. We loved going to the market as well. Highly recommend!
Jan_C, Feb 2025
We signed up for the cooking class on a whim, looking for something different from the tours and sightseeing we'd already scheduled. In short, the experience of the class including the visit to the local market stands out as one of the highlights of our vacation, and one that we talk about to all our family and friends when we recount the best of our trip to Mexico City.
The setting for the class is charming and lovely decorated, and our group of 8 participants was eclectic and fun! But by far the element of the class that made it superlative was Mariana, our chef and facilitator - we can't say enough about how she walked us through the market, her explanations of the various foods and customs, and of course, her guidance during the hands-on cooking. She definitely set the tone for the class. We laughed together, we danced a little while we cooked, and we ate delicious food together.
5 stars for the class, and 5 stars for Mariana!!
From $176.15
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Essence of Mexico: Authentic Mexican Cooking Class & Market Tour
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